Taste of Las Cruces: De La Vega's Pecan Grill and Brewery is a vegetarian-friendly dining option

Las Cruces has a variety of vegetarian-friendly restaurants, one of which is De La Vega's Pecan Grill and Brewery in the former location of Garduño's Mexican Retaurant (now located in Mesilla's Hotel Encanto).

It's hard not to compare De La Vega to the BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse chain. The concept and look is strikingly similar.
Like BJ's, beer isn't brewed on the premises, but at the Sierra Blanca Brewing Co. in Moriarty, which formulates signature beers especially for them.

The difference is that De La Vega's is family-owned and locally operated.

New Mexico's food culture is celebrated with an infusion of Southwest flavors, green chile galore and pecans in both food and beverage.

Twelve house brews, more than 20 bottled beers (including a gluten-free beer), more than 50 specialty cocktails with house-infused liquors and an extensive wine list (New Mexico-grown selections included) are contained in a separately bound menu.

Green Chile Ale and Pecan Amber Ale may immediately pique your interest. They're fun and unsual to sample within a flight ($9, to sample all brews), but would be overkill as a full pint. My favorite brews were the Wheat Ale, which had a crisp, clean flavor, and the Pale Ale, for its hoppiness. Local tributes such as the Las Cruces Lager and the Aggie Amber had a sticky, malty finish.

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If you're not into beer, try one of five different house-infused liquors, such as the Jolly Rancher vodka; D's PVT, a vanilla, brown sugar and pineapple tequila, and Cherry-Vanilla Knob Creek, a 120 proof black cherry and vanilla whiskey.
Now on to the food.

The lunch menu is available until 5 p.m., but if you get there before 3 you can enjoy the salad bar, with its housemade dressings and soups, as an entree or sandwich combo.

Vegetarians can choose between portabella ($7), eggplant parmesan ($9) or margherita ($7) sandwiches. I chose the eggplant parmesan with a side of green chile mac 'n' cheese. Other side options include regular and sweet potato fries, potato salad, coleslaw and fresh fruit.

The sandwich had thinly sliced and breaded eggplant topped with a flavorful yet scanty amount of marinara and mozarella on ciabatta bread from El Paso's Belle Sucre Bakery. The eggplant had a good texture, but the breading was soggy and eggy tasting. The mac 'n' cheese had small elbow macaroni pasta enveloped in a rich, creamy cheddar sauce with plenty of green chile and hint of what tasted like chili powder seasoning.

I immediately regretted not ordering the vegetable lasagna ($10), which is also available at dinner. The lasagna has eggplant, zucchini, roasted tomatoes, basil, ricotta and mascarpone cheese.

The best part of De La Vega's menu is its appetizer selection. During lunch, you can get green chile hummus ($9), served with an artichoke and red bell pepper salad and grilled pita slices. Smoky green chile, cumin and cilantro shine through the smooth chickpea dip with a gradual heat.

The pita slices are a soft flatbread with a subtle rosemary flavor. The accompanying salad isn't seasoned, but texturally compliments the hummus.

Also available during lunch, dinner and happy hour are the popular stuffed Hatch green chiles with ranch dressing. Three green chiles ($9, 2 for $5 at happy hour) are stuffed with white cheddar, pecan-breaded and deep-fried. The result is a delicious, crunchy cheese oozing roasted chile.

Another popular dinner starter is the fondue pot ($10) of a fontina-Swiss-green chile blend served with garlic bread. For an extra $2, you can get it with sliced beef, apple slices and bread.

During dinner, burgers and sandwiches are replaced with stuffed eggplant and green chile manicotti ($14) and green chile ravioli ($14).

Green chile lovers could be overcome with indecision over De La Vega's abundant food and beverage offerings.

Vegetarian options are plentiful and marked with a symbol, but vegan options are slim.

All salad dressings are gluten-free. Pasta and bread options are available.

De La Vega's has a rotating dessert menu (ask your server) that usually includes a selection featuring pecans.

There's a daily happy hour in the bar, and spacious, relaxing patio areas.

Lisa Martinez, who blogs at epvegsnob.wordpress.com, reviews vegetarian- and vegan-friendly restaurants and menus. She may be reached at bettyfemme@gmail.com or tiempo@elpasotimes.com.